Nonconformist? Yes. Independent? Yes. Loner? Yes—at least for now. Though Kathryn Bigelow's career was cultivated in the traditional studio system, little about her is conventional. Her movies (Point Break, Strange Days, The Weight of Water, K-19: The Widowmaker, and Hurt Locker) often explore war-torn worlds or the seedy dealings of likable characters. Bigelow is the only woman to win an Academy Award for best director. So for now she will remain a loner, but with the Oscar glass ceiling broken, other brilliant female directors should be joining her ranks sometime soon.

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The Dynamic Duo

Straddling the worlds of Hollywood and independent films, female and male narratives, goofy and complex material, big and small budgets, the Todd sisters have a taste and touch for success. The sibling producers grew up in Los Angeles and were bitten by the movie bug while watching their grandmother perform as a contract player in Singing in the Rain. This might account for their attraction to fun material like the Austin Powers franchise as well as Julie Taymor's epic Across the Universe. The sisters garnered much critical success with their discovery of then-newcomer Christopher Nolan and his revolutionary film Memento. The two women carried the film from script to distribution without a dollar of traditional studio backing. As a result of their convictions, commercial success, and creativity, the Todd sisters are the only female producers capable of producing a movie like Alice in Wonderland, which is one of only three non-sequels to have grossed more than a billion dollars and gained the distinction of being the sixth-highest-grossing film ever.

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Ladies, Leading

Beauty and the Disney Beast

Writer Linda Woolverton found her own muchness and left a cushy creative executive position at CBS to forge a path within Disney. As one of the few females in the company, Woolverton fought hard to dissolve the now-stale victim/heroine archetypes that Disney had previously perpetuated. Her first active female protagonist came in her creation of Belle for Beauty and the Beast. She worked with the animation team to ensure that Belle would pursue her wants and desires rather than be depicted baking cakes. Last year, with her adaptation of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Woolverton saw her early work for "female empowerment" pay off. In her version of Wonderland, she gave audiences a female character that was not dependent on a man for happiness or commercial success. The film went on to make a billion dollars worldwide, earning Woolverton the accolade of being the only female scribe with a sole writing credit on a billion-dollar movie.

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Ken Kochey

Ladies, Leading

The Performance Artist

The question most often posed to Ellen Kuras is how did you do that? Having shot in a wide-range of formats (from mini-DV to 35mm) with an inventive yet poetic style, she appears to be part acrobat, part chemist. Her willingness and ability to capture difficult shots has attracted such acclaimed directors as Spike Lee, Michel Gondry, Martin Scorsese, Sam Mendes, and Rebecca Miller to secure Kuras on their projects. Her cinematic genius has been realized in films like the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blow, Summer of Sam, Analyze That, and Personal Velocity. As a female in a field populated mostly by men, Kuras has achieved a kind of legendary status within the film community that is usually reserved exclusively for directors. Perhaps that is Kuras' next move. Last year, Kuras stepped up to the directing plate with her directorial debut, The Betrayal(Nerakhoon). The documentary received an Academy Award nomination for best documentary and a Primetime Emmy for win for directing excellence in nonfiction programming. Whether she moves into directing features or continues to blow us away with her cinematography, we hope that Kuras or one of her female cinematographer colleagues (Amy Vincent, Sandi Sissel, Nancy Schreiber, Tami Reiker, Joan Churchill, and Svetlana Cvetko) finally conquers that last distinct void for decorated women in Hollywood and wins an Academy Award for best cinematography.

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The Flower Girl

Longtime producing partners Nancy Juvonen and Drew Barrymore started their company, Flower Films, on a dare. The forever-flowering star dared Juvonen to move to Los Angeles and start a production company with her, and Juvonen signed up. From their first film, Never Been Kissed, to their most recent project, Whip It, they have produced 10 films together, winning both box office glory and critical triumph. These films include He's Just Not That Into You, 50 First Dates, Charlie's Angels, and Donnie Darko. Juvonen supported Barrymore's directorial turn with Whip It! starring the mighty Ellen Page as Bliss Cavendar and featuring the fast- skating, fishnet- wearing world of roller derby. As women account for only 7 percent of Hollywood directors, we hope that Juvonen will continue to support Barrymore and others, behind the camera.

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David Miezal

Ladies, Leading

The Twisted Sister

Most women and men find it shocking that American Psycho was adapted and directed by writer-director Mary Harron. However, Harron describes it with less wonderment. "I'm not like a man's woman or anything." Harron says. "I wouldn't try to adopt a boy's attitude. To me, the film was an ironic take on masculinity, and that's what made it funny. That's what Christian [Bale] and I shared that humor about it." Harron brought subtle female sensibilities to the world surrounding the film's male protagonist. In the scene in which the lead character (Bale) hires two prostitutes for a nightcap, Harron provided deft direction to the female actresses. "Those movie prostitutes always bother me because it's always sexy and glamorous...with great sex. I told them, this is a job. One that you don't particularly want to do, but you have to." The film went on to became a cult classic and continues to be referenced today. It also paved the way for Harron to make her first foray into television (directing episodes for various HBO and Showtime series) and her third feature film, The Notorious Bettie Page. Currently, Harron is in the midst of editing her next film, The Moth Diaries, a psychological horror movie set in boarding-school bedlam, in which one student realizes her rival is a member of the undead.

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Fred Hayes

Ladies, Leading

The Savior

Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute with the June Filmmakers Lab for emerging independent artists in 1981. Michelle Satter was part of the creative team. Since her first days with the budding organization, Satter has worked to nurture creative maturation among some of the film world's most valued talents. She developed Sundance's Feature Film Program into a year-round system of artist support that now boasts a roster of talent including writer-directors Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don't Cry), Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood), Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Inglourious Basterds), Julie Taymor (Frida, Across the Universe), and Rodrigo Garcia (Nine Lives, Passengers, Mother and Daughter) as alumni. Satter is a beacon of hope for independents wanting a home for their voice and an audience for their films.

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The Southern Draw

Growing up in Hot Springs, Arkansas, this Southern belle has yet to wilt. Instead, Dawn Hudson's charm, talent for nurturing creativity, and keen eye for critical adjustments has pulled people in. Under her leadership, Hudson has cultivated the careers of independent filmmakers while also increasing the global audience for independent films. Film Independent's annual Los Angeles Film Festival and Spirit Awards help to bring greater awareness and esteem to films and filmmakers who embody independence and originality. Over the past 26 years, the Film Independent Spirit Awards ( proudly sponsored by ELLE) have honored more female writers, directors, producers, and cinematographers than any other awards program. These celebrated women include Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing, Friends With Money), Sophia Coppola (Lost in Translation), Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Tamara Jenkins (Slums of Beverly Hills, The Savages), Anna Boden (Half Nelson, Sugar), Miranda July (You, Me and Everyone We Know), Courtney Hunt (Frozen River), Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee), and Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler (Boys Don't Cry, Far From Heaven). Hudson's presence in the film community ensures that a continual crop of diverse, unrepresented voices will always be heard.

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The Mentor

Sally Menke was a film editor with more than 20 film credits. Quentin Tarantino, the glorious writer-director, has been quoted as saying that Menke was "hands-down [his] number one collaborator." Menke edited every movie Tarantino made, from Reservoir Dogs to Inglorious Bastards. Tarantino also says, "I feel that the final draft of the script is actually the first cut of the movie. And the final cut of the movie is the last draft of the script... I don't write with anybody; I write by myself. But when it comes to editing, I write with Sally." The pair was introduced by the Sundance Institute's Michelle Satter during Tarantino's days after he participated in the Feature Film Lab program. Tragically, Menke died in late September of this year. In addition to being a gifted professional and receiving two Academy Award nominations, Menke was an invested mentor and creative adviser to participants of the Sundance Institute's Labs and Rough Cut Screenings. An editing fellowship in Menke's honor has been established at the Sundance Institute in her memory. To learn more, please visit: https://donate.sundance.org/page/contribute/sallymenke

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The Tough Nail (and Not the Press-On Kind)

Starting out in the industry as a production designer, the acclaimed indie filmmaker Catherine Hardwicke took a leap of faith and a financial risk to make her directorial debut (Thirteen) a reality. Her conviction brought fruition, and her film played at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, where she won the Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Directing Award. The Texas native with a casual, badass vibe then gave birth to one of the most electrifying franchises in recent time–a little series called Twilight. Her ability to cast magnetic leads (who may or may not be dating but definitely continue to drive both sexes crazy!) and realize her emotionally wrought vision created a frenzy as well as a new term ("Twihard"). The opening weekend of Twilight was the biggest opening ever for a female director and saved Summit Entertainment from financial uncertainty. Like many of these talented women, Hardwicke gives back as a mentor to young filmmakers, making time to be at the Sundance Institute Lab programs and hiring young professionals on-screen and off. Hardwicke's next projects include Red Riding Hood (starring Amanda Seyfried) and Hamlet (with Emile Hirsh).

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Mattias Segerholt

Ladies, Leading

The Stereotype Swirler

Along with her writing partner, Karen McCullah Lutz, Kirsten Smith has penned a slew of successful films, including 10 Things I Hate About You, Legally Blonde, Ella Enchanted, The House Bunny, and The Ugly Truth. By generating movies on par with monster male comedies and targeting topics and concepts at the heart of what women want to watch, their work fills a void in Hollywood. Smith explains, "[Karen and I] like these kind of underdog stories where the girls have something to prove." Their work continually challenges the usual stereotypes pitted against women and encourages self-acceptance. In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods can initially be written off as caring only about fashion and winning back her ex; however, through the journey that Smith and Lutz constructed for Elle, she proves to the world (and to herself) that she's capable of pursuing whatever she wants (and that fashion knowledge really can pay off!). Smith feels a close tie to her underdog protagonists, as she was once a woman with something to prove. "We struggled a long time to be able to get this job of writing movies. We worked really hard. [But] I still feel like an underdog. I like that feeling. It's a much more creative place than feeling entitled." Perhaps it is that underdog mentality that helped propel Smith out of her comfort zone and into another arena: directing. Next year, Smith will direct her first feature, Camp Rules (a female buddy comedy, set in the world of summer camp).

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The Queen Bee

Much like her on-camera proverbial twin (Diane Keaton), Nancy Meyers has retained success in Hollywood for the past three decades. Her first script, Private Benjamin, recalls the clever service comedies of the 1940s. In the film the laughter is served up by an enlisted woman, played by a riveting Goldie Hawn. Following two decades of solid writing success, Meyers expanded her role from writer and producer to director. Of the five films she has directed, surely one is on your list of all-time favorites: It's Complicated, Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, The Parent Trap, and What Women Want. Meyers is particularly in demand because she writes for a market that usually gets left out of the Hollywood equation: adults. Meyers speaks to the difficulty in saying, "There's a hardening of the culture. Reality TV has lowered the standards of entertainment. You're left wondering about the legitimacy of relationships. It's probably harder to entertain the same people with a more classic form of writing, and romantic comedies are a classic genre." Regardless of the modern obstacle, she embraces the migration of culture to realize hit plot lines, which has made her the highest-grossing female director to date.

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Ralph Nelson

Ladies, Leading

The Untouchable

If movies were solely valued by the sum of their creative parts, the work of Julie Lynn would be in a league of its own. No stranger to attracting heavyweight talent on-screen and behind the camera, Lynn fostered a prolific partnership with writer-director Rodrigo Garcia. Their collaboration has given way to several star-powered films that have achieved critical acclaim. These include Mother and Child, starring Annette Bening, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smits, and Samuel L. Jackson, Passengers with Anne Hathaway and Patrick Wilson, and Nine Lives with Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Sissy Spacek, and Robin Wright Penn. This December, in Ireland, the pair will be shooting the first script written by actress Glenn Close. Orlando Bloom will star alongside Close. Lynn's production company, Mockingbird Pictures, has premiered films at the Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals. Her work has also been nominated for multiple Independent Spirit Awards. As time allows, Lynn serves as a story consultant for Pixar Animation Studios and on films including Pete Docter's beloved Oscar-nominated Up.

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Doane Gregory

Ladies, Leading

The Guerilla Goddess

With her first film, Girl Fight, garnering attention and launching the career of actress Michelle Rodriguez, Karyn Kusama has been able to court films with unexpected and unconventional story lines, allowing her to create a unique, engaging, and thought-provoking experience for the audience. Kusama explains her desire to direct Jennifer's Body: "I like the complexity of a movie like Jennifer's Body because it's both Hollywood entertainment for teenagers and it demands that the audience approach the movie with a nuanced eye." Having the ability to endure the studio experience and execute her vision with a $62 million budget (as she had to do with Aeon Flux), Kusama is one of only a handful of female directors seeking creative autonomy with budgets not often available to female directors.

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